Prediction markets trading volume had been tracking monthly gains as the sector gains popularity among short-term traders, but competition is also increasing. Monthly trading volume on the Polymarket prediction market fell by about 8.9% in April, the first decline in month-to-month activity since August as rivals like Kalshi increased their market share. Polymarket and its US-based trading application collectively generated more than $10.2 billion in volume in April, compared to more than $11.2 billion in March, according to data from Dune Analytics. However, rival Kalshi’s April trading volume surged by about 13%, climbing to about $14.8 billion, Dune data shows. Read more
Kirsten Gillibrand said that the US Senate had to address lawmakers potentially getting “rich off of these industries because of their insider status“ before any vote on the CLARITY Act. US Senator Kirsten Gillibrand said lawmakers working towards passage of a digital asset market structure bill likely need to meet three conditions before the chamber could vote on the legislation. Speaking at the Consensus conference in Miami on Wednesday, Gillibrand said she considered addressing consumer protection, illicit finance, and ethics provisions essential before any potential vote on the CLARITY Act. She said that if Congress were to consider those issues, as well as combine the draft of the market structure bill with the version already passed in the Senate Agriculture Committee and ensure ethics language, lawmakers could have a vote “before the August recess,” which begins Aug. 10. “There will be no one voting for this bill if we don’t have an ethics provision,” said Gillibrand. “Because the truth is, is that we ...
The Bitcoin Policy Institute said the bipartisan support for a de minimis tax exemption for smaller Bitcoin transactions is "encouraging." The Bitcoin Policy Institute (BPI), an industry advocacy group, is eyeing a target window between March and August 2026 to pass a de minimis tax exemption for Bitcoin through Congress, warning that time to pass meaningful legislation is running out. BPI said it has engaged with 19 Congressional offices in both the House and Senate over the last three months to pitch US lawmakers on a tax exemption for Bitcoin (BTC) transactions below a certain threshold. Expanding the de minimis tax exemptions beyond dollar-pegged stablecoins has bipartisan support, but the BPI warned that the “window is narrowing” for Bitcoin tax legislation. The BPI said: Read more
HYPE technical setup points to an initial breakout toward $50, with growing demand for macro-linked perps adding to the upside case. Hyperliquid (HYPE) may hit $150 by August, according to BitMEX co-founder Arthur Hayes. Key takeaways: CEX volume rotation and demand for macro-linked markets, including oil, are boosting HYPE’s bull case. Read more
Ethereum revenue and network fees continue to dwindle, prompting debate about the layer-1 blockchain network’s financial fundamentals. Ethereum revenue, the share of network fees that accrue to Ether (ETH) holders as a result of token burns, dropped by about 44% in August, even amid all-time high ETH prices. Revenue for August totaled over $14.1 million, down from July’s $25.6 million, according to Token Terminal. The drop occurred amid ETH rallying by 240% since April and ETH hitting an all-time high of $4,957 on August 24. Network fees also dropped by about 20% month-over-month, falling from about $49.6 million in July to about $39.7 million in August. Read more
Phishing scams continue to impact crypto and Web3 users, prompting the need for vigilance and personal online safety countermeasures. Phishing scams, attacks disguised as legitimate communication or websites designed to steal funds and sensitive information, cost crypto users over $12 million in August, up 72% from July, Web3 anti-scam service Scam Sniffer reported on Saturday. Crypto phishing scams impacted 15,230 victims in August, a 67% increase from July, with the single largest loss costing one user over $3 million, according to Scam Sniffer. The Scam Sniffer team also noted a “sharp escalation” in EIP-7702 signature scams. EIP-7702 is an Ethereum improvement proposal that allows Externally Owned Accounts to act as smart contract wallets that can execute transactions and shift funds. Read more
The Bitcoin miners grew BTC output in August while expanding their operational hash rates more than 100% year-over-year. Bitcoin miners Riot Platforms and CleanSpark boosted their crypto production in August, according to operational updates on Wednesday. Riot Platforms mined 477 BTC in August, up from 322 BTC year-over-year. The output represents a 48% increase compared to August 2024. According to the company, it sold 450 BTC for net proceeds of $51.8 billion during the month, and now holds 19,309 BTC, a 92.7% increase in 12 months. Meanwhile, CleanSpark mined 657 BTC in August, up from 478 BTC during the same month in 2024. The jump amounts to a year-over-year increase of 37.5%. The company sold 533.5 BTC for $60.7 million last month. Read more
Michael Saylor’s Strategy announced a $449 million Bitcoin purchase made last week, bringing total BTC buys in August to just 7,714 BTC. Michael Saylor’s Strategy, the world’s largest public company holding Bitcoin, purchased more BTC as the price slipped below $108,000 last week. Strategy acquired 4,048 Bitcoin (BTC) for $449.3 million between Aug. 25 and Monday, according to a US Securities and Exchange Commission filing on Tuesday. Strategy’s latest Bitcoin purchase was made at an average price of $110,981 per BTC, as the crypto asset briefly surged above $113,000 and subsequently dropped below $108,000 on Friday, according to CoinGecko. Read more
Bitcoin is sluggish at the end of the month, but that didn’t stop Strategy and Metaplanet from buying over 5,000 BTC in August. The Ethereum network is seeing bullish signals, with the network recording a year high of 1.8 million transactions this month. More Ether is being locked into the network as American regulators issue guidance and definitions for staking. Bitcoin (BTC) is in a slump, meanwhile, with the currency trading down over 5% over the last 30 days. A $2.7-billion whale trade sparked a flash crash on Aug. 24. Bitcoin treasury countries continue to issue debt to fund their major Bitcoin purchases. In August, Strategy and Metaplanet picked up 5,370 BTC between the two of them. Read more